A great dining experience is one that remains in my brain forever. I will remember every detail and treasure it always. For me, there isn’t anything as special as a fine meal with someone you enjoy spending time with. Such was the case for my first visit to Tender Steak & Sushi. I have long wanted to visit Tender though I do not remember how I first learned about it. I have known about it for over a year as it was prominently featured on my annual 2017/2018 to do list ( http://bit.ly/2s4Ydji ). Finally I could wait no longer. I decided Restaurant Week ( http://bit.ly/2CkqhQR ) Winter 2018 was the time for Tender and I to get acquainted. I met up with a beloved cousin of mine to share this dining experience. I knew this was a great opportunity to have a few laughs and do a bit of catching up. We both agreed that this was the kind of restaurant where there were so many things that sounded delicious, that making any kind of choice would be difficult. However, m...

I love Anderson Cooper. Almost more than life itself and I am being dead serious. Not only is he so very pretty, and an actual Vanderbilt, he is so much more than that. He has influenced and changed my life ( http://bit.ly/2o1MEpT ). Since this is Valentine’s Day I thought there could be no more appropriate time to share our latest encounter.  I first saw Anderson Cooper in person at a Barnes and Noble during a book signing that Jeffrey Toobin was having in 2007 in Union Square. Naturally my love has only grown stronger since then. When Anderson had his daytime talk show I was right there in the audience ( http://bit.ly/2o6k5XG ) season one. His ability to ignore most of the pop culture stuff we all take so seriously is what I love about him. While that and his ability to have so much compassion for those he is reporting on from all far away places. He also doesn’t take a bullshit from politicians he is interviewing when they are lying to his face.  P...

A good sign that your latest trip was well worth it, is that you leave having a list of what to do on your trip back. I feel like my “What Remains” lists getting longer and longer the more times I visit a favorite locale. Not only are there the places I didn’t have time for on that initial trip, but I keep my eyes open to any new spots I find out about as time passes. This is why my travel archives are expanding with every breathe I take. Since I haven’t been back to London since my first trip in 2009, I have an extensive bank of research of what I want to see. I didn’t delve into that to make this list, rather these are the most important items that I already knew I would need to get to upon my return. They are the places that still peak my interest all of these years later and I am sure they still will on the lucky day I get to finally experience them. Many of these experiences are also apart of the London Pass, something I plan on definitely using agai...

This week I had my scheduled dose of Botox. I receive forty-one shots every three months as treatment for my Chronic Migraine illness. Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control, there was a lag in my treatment and I was five weeks overdue. As a result the fatigue I get from this treatment has been impossible.  While I am grateful that this works so well for me once it kicks in, it has me reflecting on my illness and the sacrifices is has caused over the last several years. An enormous saving grace was the Family and Medical Leave Act, referred to commonly as FMLA. The Family and Medical Leave Act was passed in 1993 and signed into law by then President Bill Clinton. This federal law celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary this week. It was the first major piece of legislation Clinton signed after only about three weeks in office during his first term. The Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees employees up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave per year without fe...